(16) Guarantor/Non-Guarantor Guarantor/Non-Guarantor - Statements of Cash Flows (Details) (USD $)	6 Months Ended
	Jul. 03, 2011	Jul. 04, 2010
Cash flows from investing activities:
Investment in international joint venture	$ (1,183,000)	$ 0
The Wendy's Company [Member]
Cash flows from operating activities:
Net income	9,857,000	7,342,000
Adjustments to reconcile net (loss) income to net cash (used in) provided by operating activities:
Depreciation and amortization	82,269,000	91,270,000
Net receipt of deferred vendor incentives	19,764,000	19,676,000
Impairment of long-lived assets	9,820,000	14,015,000
Distributions received from joint venture	6,501,000	5,793,000
Share-based compensation provision	6,660,000	6,651,000
Accretion of long-term debt	4,163,000	11,015,000
Non-cash rent expense (credit)	4,114,000	4,945,000
Write-off and amortization of deferred financing costs	3,509,000	8,846,000
Provision for (recovery of) doubtful accounts	1,568,000	3,576,000
Deferred income tax (benefit) provision, net	3,601,000	(4,053,000)
Changes in operating assets and liabilities:
Accounts and notes receivable	(5,575,000)	(7,016,000)
Inventories	(750,000)	616,000
Prepaid expenses and other current assets	(12,147,000)	(7,462,000)
Accounts payable	14,604,000	(14,006,000)
Net cash provided by operating activities	132,599,000	102,290,000
Cash flows from investing activities:
Capital expenditures	(55,966,000)	(52,730,000)
Business acquisitions	(6,613,000)	0
Proceeds from dispositions	2,565,000	4,111,000
Other, net	(208,000)	67,000
Net cash used in investing activities	(61,050,000)	(16,365,000)
Cash flows from financing activities:
Proceeds from long-term debt	0	497,661,000
Repayments of long-term debt	(34,768,000)	(466,362,000)
Deferred financing costs	(36,000)	(14,375,000)
Other, net	(119,000)	(430,000)
Net cash used in financing activities	(85,733,000)	(169,002,000)
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash	1,200,000	(262,000)
Net decrease in cash and cash equivalents	(12,984,000)	(83,339,000)
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period	512,508,000	591,719,000
Cash and cash equivalents at end of period	499,524,000	508,380,000
Wendy's Restaurants, LLC [Member]
Cash flows from operating activities:
Net income	13,914,000	6,815,000
Adjustments to reconcile net (loss) income to net cash (used in) provided by operating activities:
Equity in income from operations of subsidiaries	0	0
Depreciation and amortization	81,745,000	90,338,000
Net receipt of deferred vendor incentives	19,764,000	19,676,000
Impairment of long-lived assets	9,820,000	14,015,000
Tax sharing (receivable from) payable to parent, net	6,715,000	980,000
Distributions received from joint venture	6,501,000	5,793,000
Share-based compensation provision	6,162,000	6,227,000
Accretion of long-term debt	4,163,000	11,015,000
Non-cash rent expense (credit)	4,114,000	4,945,000
Write-off and amortization of deferred financing costs	3,503,000	8,836,000
Provision for (recovery of) doubtful accounts	1,568,000	3,576,000
Tax sharing receipt from (payment to) affiliate, net	0	0
Deferred income tax (benefit) provision, net	(118,000)	(3,433,000)
Other operating transactions with affiliates	(1,097,000)	(1,505,000)
Equity in earnings in joint venture	(5,100,000)	(4,480,000)
Tax sharing payment to The Wendy's Company	(13,078,000)	0
Other, net	(1,352,000)	71,000
Changes in operating assets and liabilities:
Accounts and notes receivable	(5,609,000)	(6,767,000)
Inventories	(750,000)	616,000
Prepaid expenses and other current assets	(12,226,000)	(7,801,000)
Accounts payable	14,148,000	(12,936,000)
Accrued expenses and other current liabilities	(7,405,000)	(27,537,000)
Net cash provided by operating activities	125,382,000	108,444,000
Cash flows from investing activities:
Capital expenditures	(55,966,000)	(52,730,000)
Business acquisitions	(6,613,000)	0
Investment in international joint venture	(1,183,000)	0
Proceeds from dispositions	2,565,000	4,111,000
Other, net	(225,000)	876,000
Net cash used in investing activities	(61,422,000)	(47,743,000)
Cash flows from financing activities:
Dividends paid to The Wendy's Company	0	(443,700,000)
Proceeds from long-term debt	0	497,661,000
Repayments of long-term debt	(33,981,000)	(458,576,000)
Capital contribution from Parent	0	0
Deferred financing costs	(36,000)	(14,375,000)
Net cash used in financing activities	(34,017,000)	(418,990,000)
Net cash (used in) provided by operations before effect of exchange rate changes on cash	29,943,000	(358,289,000)
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash	1,200,000	(262,000)
Net decrease in cash and cash equivalents	31,143,000	(358,551,000)
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period	198,686,000	538,864,000
Cash and cash equivalents at end of period	229,829,000	180,313,000
Wendy's Restaurants, LLC [Member] | Parent [Member]
Cash flows from operating activities:
Net income	13,914,000	6,815,000
Adjustments to reconcile net (loss) income to net cash (used in) provided by operating activities:
Equity in income from operations of subsidiaries	(47,062,000)	(15,980,000)
Depreciation and amortization	5,027,000	6,225,000
Net receipt of deferred vendor incentives	0	0
Impairment of long-lived assets	0	0
Tax sharing (receivable from) payable to parent, net	(26,857,000)	(25,735,000)
Distributions received from joint venture	0	0
Share-based compensation provision	2,606,000	1,796,000
Accretion of long-term debt	1,087,000	734,000
Non-cash rent expense (credit)	0	0
Write-off and amortization of deferred financing costs	3,503,000	1,591,000
Provision for (recovery of) doubtful accounts	0	0
Tax sharing receipt from (payment to) affiliate, net	29,000,000	32,000,000
Deferred income tax (benefit) provision, net	(1,121,000)	0
Other operating transactions with affiliates	51,211,000	(37,830,000)
Equity in earnings in joint venture	0	0
Tax sharing payment to The Wendy's Company	(13,078,000)
Other, net	(15,000)	2,315,000
Changes in operating assets and liabilities:
Accounts and notes receivable	22,000	(41,000)
Inventories	0	0
Prepaid expenses and other current assets	(977,000)	(416,000)
Accounts payable	1,343,000	(229,000)
Accrued expenses and other current liabilities	1,131,000	(8,869,000)
Net cash provided by operating activities	19,734,000	(37,624,000)
Cash flows from investing activities:
Capital expenditures	(5,437,000)	(7,918,000)
Business acquisitions	0
Investment in international joint venture	0
Proceeds from dispositions	0	0
Other, net	0	0
Net cash used in investing activities	(5,437,000)	(7,918,000)
Cash flows from financing activities:
Dividends paid to The Wendy's Company		(148,700,000)
Proceeds from long-term debt		497,500,000
Repayments of long-term debt	(27,361,000)	(107,000)
Capital contribution from Parent	(30,000,000)	(474,569,000)
Deferred financing costs	(36,000)	(14,375,000)
Net cash used in financing activities	(57,397,000)	(140,251,000)
Net cash (used in) provided by operations before effect of exchange rate changes on cash	(43,100,000)	(185,793,000)
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash	0	0
Net decrease in cash and cash equivalents	(43,100,000)	(185,793,000)
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period	79,355,000	237,607,000
Cash and cash equivalents at end of period	36,255,000	51,814,000
Wendy's Restaurants, LLC [Member] | Guarantor Subsidiaries [Member]
Cash flows from operating activities:
Net income	47,062,000	15,980,000
Adjustments to reconcile net (loss) income to net cash (used in) provided by operating activities:
Equity in income from operations of subsidiaries	(5,551,000)	(6,799,000)
Depreciation and amortization	71,473,000	79,038,000
Net receipt of deferred vendor incentives	19,764,000	19,676,000
Impairment of long-lived assets	9,448,000	14,015,000
Tax sharing (receivable from) payable to parent, net	33,572,000	26,715,000
Distributions received from joint venture	0	0
Share-based compensation provision	3,556,000	4,431,000
Accretion of long-term debt	3,076,000	10,281,000
Non-cash rent expense (credit)	4,265,000	5,096,000
Write-off and amortization of deferred financing costs	0	7,245,000
Provision for (recovery of) doubtful accounts	1,659,000	3,788,000
Tax sharing receipt from (payment to) affiliate, net	(29,000,000)	(32,000,000)
Deferred income tax (benefit) provision, net	1,003,000	(3,433,000)
Other operating transactions with affiliates	(50,388,000)	36,476,000
Equity in earnings in joint venture		0
Tax sharing payment to The Wendy's Company	0
Other, net	(295,000)	(529,000)
Changes in operating assets and liabilities:
Accounts and notes receivable	(4,516,000)	(6,793,000)
Inventories	(731,000)	552,000
Prepaid expenses and other current assets	(10,387,000)	(6,505,000)
Accounts payable	10,930,000	(11,445,000)
Accrued expenses and other current liabilities	(5,799,000)	(14,406,000)
Net cash provided by operating activities	99,141,000	141,383,000
Cash flows from investing activities:
Capital expenditures	(47,862,000)	(41,876,000)
Business acquisitions	(6,613,000)
Investment in international joint venture	0
Proceeds from dispositions	2,565,000	4,111,000
Other, net	(208,000)	50,000
Net cash used in investing activities	(52,118,000)	(37,715,000)
Cash flows from financing activities:
Dividends paid to The Wendy's Company		(295,000,000)
Proceeds from long-term debt		161,000
Repayments of long-term debt	(6,539,000)	(458,370,000)
Capital contribution from Parent	30,000,000	474,569,000
Deferred financing costs	0	0
Net cash used in financing activities	23,461,000	(278,640,000)
Net cash (used in) provided by operations before effect of exchange rate changes on cash	70,484,000	(174,972,000)
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash	0	0
Net decrease in cash and cash equivalents	70,484,000	(174,972,000)
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period	88,936,000	268,762,000
Cash and cash equivalents at end of period	159,420,000	93,790,000
Wendy's Restaurants, LLC [Member] | Non-Guarantor Subsidiaries [Member]
Cash flows from operating activities:
Net income	5,551,000	6,799,000
Adjustments to reconcile net (loss) income to net cash (used in) provided by operating activities:
Equity in income from operations of subsidiaries	0	0
Depreciation and amortization	5,245,000	5,075,000
Net receipt of deferred vendor incentives	0	0
Impairment of long-lived assets	372,000	0
Tax sharing (receivable from) payable to parent, net	0	0
Distributions received from joint venture	6,501,000	5,793,000
Share-based compensation provision	0	0
Accretion of long-term debt	0	0
Non-cash rent expense (credit)	(151,000)	(151,000)
Write-off and amortization of deferred financing costs	0	0
Provision for (recovery of) doubtful accounts	(91,000)	(212,000)
Tax sharing receipt from (payment to) affiliate, net	0	0
Deferred income tax (benefit) provision, net	0	0
Other operating transactions with affiliates	(1,920,000)	(151,000)
Equity in earnings in joint venture	(5,100,000)	(4,480,000)
Tax sharing payment to The Wendy's Company	0
Other, net	(1,042,000)	(1,715,000)
Changes in operating assets and liabilities:
Accounts and notes receivable	(1,115,000)	67,000
Inventories	(19,000)	64,000
Prepaid expenses and other current assets	(862,000)	(880,000)
Accounts payable	1,875,000	(1,262,000)
Accrued expenses and other current liabilities	(2,737,000)	(4,262,000)
Net cash provided by operating activities	6,507,000	4,685,000
Cash flows from investing activities:
Capital expenditures	(2,667,000)	(2,936,000)
Business acquisitions	0
Investment in international joint venture	(1,183,000)
Proceeds from dispositions	0	0
Other, net	(17,000)	826,000
Net cash used in investing activities	(3,867,000)	(2,110,000)
Cash flows from financing activities:
Dividends paid to The Wendy's Company		0
Proceeds from long-term debt		0
Repayments of long-term debt	(81,000)	(99,000)
Capital contribution from Parent	0	0
Deferred financing costs	0	0
Net cash used in financing activities	(81,000)	(99,000)
Net cash (used in) provided by operations before effect of exchange rate changes on cash	2,559,000	2,476,000
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash	1,200,000	(262,000)
Net decrease in cash and cash equivalents	3,759,000	2,214,000
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period	30,395,000	32,495,000
Cash and cash equivalents at end of period	34,154,000	34,709,000
Wendy's Restaurants, LLC [Member] | Consolidation, Eliminations [Member]
Cash flows from operating activities:
Net income	(52,613,000)	(22,779,000)
Adjustments to reconcile net (loss) income to net cash (used in) provided by operating activities:
Equity in income from operations of subsidiaries	52,613,000	22,779,000
Depreciation and amortization	0	0
Net receipt of deferred vendor incentives	0	0
Impairment of long-lived assets	0	0
Tax sharing (receivable from) payable to parent, net	0	0
Distributions received from joint venture	0	0
Share-based compensation provision	0	0
Accretion of long-term debt	0	0
Non-cash rent expense (credit)	0	0
Write-off and amortization of deferred financing costs	0	0
Provision for (recovery of) doubtful accounts	0	0
Tax sharing receipt from (payment to) affiliate, net	0	0
Deferred income tax (benefit) provision, net	0	0
Other operating transactions with affiliates	0	0
Equity in earnings in joint venture	0	0
Tax sharing payment to The Wendy's Company	0
Other, net	0	0
Changes in operating assets and liabilities:
Accounts and notes receivable	0	0
Inventories	0	0
Prepaid expenses and other current assets	0	0
Accounts payable	0	0
Accrued expenses and other current liabilities	0	0
Net cash provided by operating activities	0	0
Cash flows from investing activities:
Capital expenditures	0	0
Business acquisitions	0
Investment in international joint venture	0
Proceeds from dispositions	0	0
Other, net	0	0
Net cash used in investing activities	0	0
Cash flows from financing activities:
Dividends paid to The Wendy's Company		0
Proceeds from long-term debt		0
Repayments of long-term debt	0	0
Capital contribution from Parent	0	0
Deferred financing costs	0	0
Net cash used in financing activities	0	0
Net cash (used in) provided by operations before effect of exchange rate changes on cash	0	0
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash	0	0
Net decrease in cash and cash equivalents	0	0
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period	0	0
Cash and cash equivalents at end of period	$ 0	$ 0